Broadly popular virtual worlds are a relatively recent
phenomenon, and yet have taken the real world by storm. It
was just 2003 when Second Life opened its doors to the
public – it has now grown to 13,018,921 residents (as of today)
with millions of Linden dollars being
exchanged every month.

Virtual worlds evolved from basic online communities and
chatrooms. From these roots sprouted Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs)
and Multi-User Shared Habitats
(MUSHes), like the first 3D shooter game Maze
War. Inspired by UK-born MUDs of the
late 1970s like AberMUD, the first
Internet-based MUD, early virtual worlds
of the 1990s were solely text-based with limited graphics and often
used a Terminal
Interface. The launch of
CyberTown in 1995, the immediate success of The Sims Online in 2002, and the
growing success of Second Life sewed the seeds for a market that
has recently begun to skyrocket. Due also in part to the steady
popularization of MMORPGs, it didn’t
take long for the rest of the world to catch on to the potential of
such virtual environments. With virtual worlds popping up
everywhere, the roster now includes World of Warcraft,
Multiverse, There.com, MetaPlace, Club Penguin and many
more.

This year’s Virtual Worlds Conference in
New York City promises to be a playground for those interested in
the Metaverse. The two day
conference agenda covers the business, operations and legal issues
for companies seeking to monetize their intellectual property with
virtual worlds.

Despite their reputation, virtual worlds today are much more
than outlets for play and leisure. In fact, their utility and user
bases span quite an extreme spectrum. Businesses are increasingly
using virtual worlds for meetings, broadcasts and collaborative
spaces – artists are using virtual worlds for showcasing their work
– children are playing in virtual spaces in their free time –
virtual entrepreneurs can be found designing virtual clothing,
running discotheques, or even starting virtual schools. Due to the
vast array of possibilities for development in virtual worlds, the
booming market comes as no surprise – neither does the
prognostication that they’ll continue to grow and become
increasingly integrated into the real world of tomorrow.

Interested in the Virtual Worlds 2008 Conference? For a
MemeBox Community discount of 20%, email me (marisa[at]memebox.com)
with your user name and she’ll pass along the discount
code.